Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. E. RICHTER.

GAR COUPLING. No. 495,230. Patented Apr. 11, 1893.

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7% WHY (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. RICHTER.

GAR COUPLING-- NO. 495,230. Patented Apr. 11, 1893.

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EDWARD RICHTER, OF HACKETTSTOWN, NEYV JERSEY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,230, dated April 11, 1893. Application filed October 11,1892. Serial No. 443.514. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD RICHTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hackettstown, Warren county, New .Tersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Oar-Couplers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof.

My invention relates to devices for coupling together the cars of railway trains, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient coupler adapted to be operated from the side of the car or from some suitable part of the car, so that the attendant can couple or uncouple the cars of a train without going between the cars.

My invention contemplates the employment of a toothed coupling link, suitable means for connecting it to a car, and a socket for the coupling link formed in the adjacent end of the adjoining car, a sliding spring bolt in such socket engaging with or adapted to engage with the tooth of the link, and a handle connected to such sliding bolt and located at or near the side of the car and various other features of construction hereinafter set forth and claimed. When my entire invention is used the coupling link has two teeth or hooks, one at each end of the link, and there are two sets of sockets and bolts and handles one at the end of each car. Latches are also provided engaging withnot'ches in the spring bolts when the spring bolts are in position to release the links, and devices for operating the sliding bolts and the latches from the car platform or the top of the car. A sliding spring piston is also provided in each socket adapted to press on the end of the coupling link when such link is in the socket; the spring bolts are fitted to slide at right angles to the line of traction and the spring piston is fitted to slide in the line of traction. Spring buffers are preferably provided to cushion the shock when the cars come together or when they are forced toward each other.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an end elevation of a railway car provided with my improved coupler. Fig. 2 is a detached side elevation of two coupling sockets and buffers, one being in central section, and of a coupling link held in such sockets. Fig. 3 is a detached plan View of the same, one of the sockets being shown in central section. Fig. 4 is a detached vertical section of two couplings and sockets at different heights and of a bent coupling link held in such sockets. Fig. 5 is a detached vertical section showing my improved coupling sockets used with an ordinary coupling link and pins. Fig. 6 shows in side elevation and plan a modified form of my improved coupling link.

My improved coupling socket is placed in the same position as the ordinary coupling socket and draw-bar, but is preferably rigidly attached to the frame of the car. This coupling socket a has a rectangular chamber open at the outer end which receives. the coupling link. It is securely held in the frame I) bolted to the car and locatedat the end of the car beneath the flooring or platform, as shown in I Fig. 1.

The coupling link 0 is a straight bar as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or may be bent or curved to accommodate cars of different heights, as shown in Fig. 4. It is provided at each end with a tooth or hook 0'. These teeth or hooks are preferably arranged both on the same side of the link, so as to bring the operating handles which release them both on the same side of thetrack, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, but they may beplaced on opposite sides of the link-, as shown in Fig.6. For a railway having very-sharp curves it is sometimes desirable to make the links flexible. In the construction shown in Fig. 6 this is accomplished by making the link in two parts 0 and c hinged together, and provided with springs c to normally hold the parts in a straight line.

The device for clamping and holding the coupling link in the socket a consists of the sliding spring bolt d, fitted to slide in such socket at right angles to the line of traction, and extending out through the frame I) to the side of the car. A helical spring e is coiled about the sliding bolt (55, within the frame b and presses at one end against the frame and at the other end against an enlarged portion of the boltd. A handle f is provided at the outer end of the bolt 01; preferably pivoted'so that it may not project beyond the side of the car when not being operated. A latch g is pivoted at the side of the frame I), which drops into a notch d in the bolt (1 when the bolt is in outer position and holds the boltin such position until the latch is lifted out of the notch.

For operating the coupler from the car platform or roof of the earl provide a connecting rod 19 secured at one end to the sliding bolt 61 and extending preferably through guides along the end of the car and hinged at its other end to operating rod 10'. The operating rod 19 extends up to and above the roof of the car, preferably through a guide, and is provided at its upper end with an operating handle. At the pivotal connection of the rods 19 and p is mounted a contact rollerp which works against the curved guide plateq secured to the end wall of the car. It is evident that a downward vertical movement imparted to the rod 10 will cause the rodp to move outwardly and to move the bolt d outwardly and thus uncouple the cars. To cause the latch g to release the sliding bolt 61 and thus permit the bolt to move inward I provide a chain '1" secured at its lower end to the latch gand running upward over a guide pulley r to the top of the car. A spring piston h is provided sliding in the rectangular chamber of the socket a and having a guide rod 71. extending out through the end of the socket and preferably passing through a guide bearing piece 7L projecting from the frame I). A helical spring a is coiled about the guide rod h and presses at one end against the back of the piston h and at the other against the rear wall of the chamber of the socket a.

p A spring buffer is provided consisting of the buffer headj at the end of the sliding bar j, fitted to slide in bearings projecting downward from the frame b, and pressed outward by the helical spring is, surrounding the buffer bar j between the head j and one of such bearings.

The two sockets and. attached parts of adjacent cars are of the same construction and are preferably arranged so that both handles f will be on the same side of the track.

The operation of coupling is performed antomatically, the inclined and sharpened end of the coupling link 0 pushing back the spring bolt (1 as it enters the chamber of the socket a. When the link has fully entered the socket and the hook or tooth has passed beyond the bolt d, the bolt d is moved back by the resilience of its spring e to its original position and in this position firmly and tightly holds the link in place. The spring piston h is also pushed backward slightly by the end of the coupling link so that the resilience of its spring 7 tends to hold the tooth or hook of the link tightly against the spring bolt d.

To uncouple the cars the bolt 01 is pulled outward either by directly operating the ham dle f or by operating the rod 19', until the end of the bolt dis clear of the tooth or hook of the link. It may if desired be moved outward a little farther so that the latch y will engage with the notch d of the bolt 01 and thereby hold the bolt in outward position, thus holding the bolt as long as desired in position to release the coupling link.

To permit a car provided with myimproved coupler to be coupled with a car having the ordinary coupling link I provide in the socket a a cylindrical hole Z, adapted to receive an ordinary link. I also provide a block m which may be attached to the car by a chain, as shown in Fig. 1, adapted to fit within the chamber of the socket a when the ordinary coupling pin and link oare held in such socket, and to hold the coupling link 0 in horizontal position so that it will enter the chamber of the adjacent car without having its outer end lifted upward and guided as is now necessary with ordinary links. This construction is shown in Fig. 5.

It is an obvious modification of my invention that the coupling link may be pivotally connected or otherwise permanently secured to one car and provided with a hook or tooth at its outer end whereby it may be coupled with an adjacent car.

What I claim is v 1. An automatic car coupler, consisting of a coupling link having a hook or tooth at each end thereof, and inclined and tapering at each end and two sockets for the same, one at the end of one car and the other at the adjacent end of an adjoining car, and two sliding spring bolts fitted to slide at right angles to the line of traction, one in each of such sockets and each adapted to engage with one hook or tooth of the coupling link, and having tapered faces corresponding to the tapered ends of the links two spring pistons fitted to slide in the line of traction, one in each of such sockets and each adapted to press against one end of the coupling link, and two handles, one handle connected to each spring bolt, substantially as set, forth.

2. An automatic car coupler consisting of a hooked or toothed coupling link having an inclined and tapering end, means for connecting it to a car, a socket for the same formed in the adjacent car, a sliding spring bolt in such socket fitted to slide at right angles to the line of traction and adapted to engage with the hook or tooth of the coupling link, and having a tapered face corresponding to the tapered end of the link a notch in such spring bolt, a pivoted latch adapted to automatically engage therein when the bolt is in position to release the coupling link, and a handle connected to the spring bolt, substantially as set forth.

3. An automatic car coupler, consisting of a coupling link having a tooth or hook at each end thereof, and tapered and sharpened at each end and two sockets for the same, one at the end of one car and one at the adjacent end-of an adjoining car, and two sliding spring bolts fitted to slide at right angles to the line of traction, one in each of such sockets and each adapted to engage with one hook or tooth of the coupling link, and having tapered faces corresponding to the tapered ends of the links a notch in each of such spring bolts, and two pivoted latches, one adapted to automatically engage in each of such notches when its bolt is in position to release the coupling link, and two handles, one handle connected to each spring bolt, substantially as set forth.

4. An automatic car coupler, consisting of a hooked or toothed coupling link, meansfor connecting it to one car, a socket formed for the same in the adjacent car, a sliding spring bolt in such socket adapted to engage with the hook or tooth of the link, a sliding spring piston in such socket, adapted to press against the end of the coupling link, and a spring buffer fitted in one car and adapted to meet a part of the adjacent car, substantially as set forth.

5. An automatic car coupler, consisting of a coupling link having a hook or tooth at each end thereof, and two sockets for the same, one at the end of one car and the other at the adjacent end of an adjoining car, two sliding spring bolts, one in each of such sockets, each adapted to engage with one hook or tooth of the coupling link, two sliding spring pistons, one in each of such sockets and each adapted to press against one end of the coupling link, and two spring bufiers, one fitted at the end of each car and adapted to meet each other when the cars are coupled, substantially as I set forth.

6. An automatic car coupler, consisting of and a guide plate with which such roller is in contact, substantially as set forth.

7. An automatic car coupler, consisting of the chambered socket a, and frame I), the sliding spring bolt (1, having the handle f arranged at the side of the car, the notch d in the bolt 01 and the latch g pivoted to the frame I), the spring piston 71., guide rod h and bearings therefor, and the coupling link 0 having the hook or tooth c, substantially as shown and described. a

8. An automatic car coupler, consisting of the chambered socket a and frame '0, the sliding spring bolt d having the handle f arranged at the side of the car, the connecting rod 19, contact roller p guide plate q, and the operating rod p, the notch d in the bolt d and the latch g pivoted to the frame 17, the chain 0" and its guide roller 1", the spring piston h, guide rod h and bearings therefor, and the coupling link 0, having the tooth or hook c, substantially as shown and described.

EDWARD RICHTER.

Witnesses:

HENRY D. WILLIAMS, EDWIN SEGAR. 

